I recently ordered some teas using an groupon-style deal for this company. The number of flavor combinations that this company offers is mind blowing, so it was difficult to chose. Their website is nicely organized with lots of great pictures of the tea. They do offer a custom blending option, but I didn’t chose to do that this time.

They don’t offer samples, likely because every batch is blended to order, but fortunately they do offer sizes as small as 2oz, for a very reasonable price. I do wish that they would specify the composition of the black tea base for each tea (they do for some, so I assume it’s the same for all, but perhaps it’s not). Shipping was a reasonable $7, and if you didn’t have another coupon you can use a free shipping on any order code.

The tea was nicely packaged in heavy-grade, resealable opaque plastic bags with lables for each tea on the bag. No free samples in the box, and again I feel like it’s probably because they don’t necessarily keep stock of every blend around. I think that they should include a note to let the tea flavors mature for a bit before you drink, because the flavors always change a bit from a fresh blended tea. I’m definitely pleased with my order and would definitely order from this company again.

I don’t know if it was the free shipping offer I took advantage of, or the fact that they blend each tea to order, or a combination of the two, but I thought my tea would never arrive! It shipped 9 days after I purchased it. NINE DAYS!!! And then it took another 4 to reach me. So, yeah, I wasn’t too happy about that. The pro is that it was shipped by USPS, so I didn’t have to go pick it up from the UPS store (my apartment only accepts USPS packages for whatever dumb reason).

Still, I would have appreciated some sort of disclaimer when I placed the order that there would be such a large delay before the product shipped. I double-checked the receipt, and it said it would be shipped within 7 days. If I had noticed this sooner, I probably would have called the company to see what was going on. Two weeks is a long time to wait, and it kind of killed the excitement generated at the time of the purchase.

Nonetheless, the teas were packaged nicely and included steeping instructions, a description, and an ingredients list. The first one I tried knocked me out of the park! Every subsequent tea fell below expectations. I’m not sure if it’s just that they don’t blend green teas as well as they blend black teas (the one I loved was a black tea and the other three were greens) or if I just didn’t do a good job selecting teas I would ultimately enjoy.

Their redeeming quality is that the prices are pretty hard to beat: only $6 for 2 ounces. And with the free shipping offer it was a no brainer! But I do wish they offered sample sizes so I could avoid buying 2 ounces of a tea just to find out that it’s not to my liking.

Overall, I’d rate them 3 out of 5 stars. I’m going to hold on to these flavored greens for a while in hopes that the flavors will develop more with time. But I have already waited 8 weeks…

I had to take advantage of the ability to make up my own blend without having to do the work.

It took less time than I thought it would, and I was surprised to get my tea so soon, even from across the country!

Since things like this are obviously blended to order, it definitely helps to wait a bit of time before drinking it. The price for your own custom 4 ounces of tea really cannot be beat.

Honestly, that’s all I can really say because the rest of the process just feels like your average online order routine. But it’s entirely worth it, don’t get me wrong!

I just received my second order from Ovation Teas and overall, I’m impressed with this company. Their prices are fair, they do not overcharge for shipping (actually, this last time I ordered from them, they offered free shipping, and I like that price very much!) and the orders arrive in a timely manner … although, again, it doesn’t hardly seem fair for me to judge the shipping time since they are also in Washington State. But the processing time did not seem lengthy, given the fact that they are/were running their free-shipping promotion which means a higher volume of orders to get out the door.

Some of the pros: fair pricing on both the teas and the shipping rates, a nice selection of flavored teas as well as pure teas, and they also offer a custom flavored tea blend so that you can request the base flavored with up to 2 essences, and up to 4 additions added (such as fruit pieces, spices, nuts, petals, etc). I’ve utilized this service once and I was quite pleased with the outcome of my custom blend… and I probably will use it again at some point. Other pros include a fast processing time for orders, and the fact that they use Paypal (which may or may not be a plus depending upon whether or not you like this service, I happen to like it because I don’t have to dig out my credit card when I want to place an order).

Some of the cons: well, I almost feel kind of wrong to say that this is a con, but, no free sample is included with the order. I don’t wish to sound greedy or anything, however, I just feel … appreciated? … when I receive a free sample. I feel like I am getting a little something extra, like a little gift from the company. And I appreciate that. Also, there was no hand-written thank you, just the invoice/packing slip. I got what I paid for, and I got it in a timely manner, so overall it was a positive experience. I also would like if they offered sample sizes to purchase … I am glad that they have a small size of 2 ounces (rather than 4 ounces being the smallest size available), but, it would be nice to sample a tea before I buy.

An above average experience, and I’d probably buy from them again.

I have ordered from Ovation Teas a few times. The “Blend your Own” option is incredibly fun. If you know what you like, it is very easy to create a blend that exactly fits your taste, and your personally blended tea comes in roughly 4 oz. amounts. She also has several blends that are in her regular offerings. Minimum amount to order is 2 oz, but I do think she blends them as she gets orders in (I am agreeing with Dinosara on this one.) Her flavor blends are unique, the usual flavors often with a twist. She also offers premium unflavored teas, but I have not tried those.

As far as turnaround time, it is relatively short. It only takes a few days to get shipped out, and then it just depends on how far it has to go. I have always used a coupon code of some sort, usually for free shipping.

She is incredibly responsive if there is an issue. In my last order, there was a mistake on the tea base. I emailed last night and heard back within the hour. Since it was honeybush I ordered and I ended up with a rooibos, she requested that I test it to be sure, and if I needed her to reblend and send out a different one, she would. I have complete faith that she will handle this in a very professional manner and my reblend will be out to me in a few days. Let’s face it, we are all human and make mistakes. It is how one handles those mistakes that makes one an exceptional person. And it works that way in business, too!

Selection-4 stars
Service-5 stars
The tea-4 stars
Pure Fun Factor-5 stars

I recently ordered some teas using an groupon-style deal for this company. The number of flavor combinations that this company offers is mind blowing, so it was difficult to chose. Their website is nicely organized with lots of great pictures of the tea. They do offer a custom blending option, but I didn’t chose to do that this time.

They don’t offer samples, likely because every batch is blended to order, but fortunately they do offer sizes as small as 2oz, for a very reasonable price. I do wish that they would specify the composition of the black tea base for each tea (they do for some, so I assume it’s the same for all, but perhaps it’s not). Shipping was a reasonable $7, and if you didn’t have another coupon you can use a free shipping on any order code.

The tea was nicely packaged in heavy-grade, resealable opaque plastic bags with lables for each tea on the bag. No free samples in the box, and again I feel like it’s probably because they don’t necessarily keep stock of every blend around. I think that they should include a note to let the tea flavors mature for a bit before you drink, because the flavors always change a bit from a fresh blended tea. I’m definitely pleased with my order and would definitely order from this company again.